Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) local authorities and (b) charities can claim financial compensation for environmental clean-up costs.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
With regards to marine pollution, liability sits with the polluter. Local Authorities and other responders should work with the responsible party and its insurer to recover costs once clean-up operations are concluded.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the total cost of the environmental clean-up operation, following the North Sea vessel collision on 10 March 2025.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Both ships were insured by reputable insurance companies and UK authorities have spoken with both. Liability for the pollution sits with the shipowner and their insurers. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Local Authorities will work with them once clean-up operations are concluded to recover costs.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of the environmental clean-up operation to (a) charities and (b) local authorities, following the North Sea vessel collision on 10 March 2025.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Liability for the pollution sits with the shipowner, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Local Authorities will work with them once clean-up operations are concluded to recover costs. The ‘polluter pays’ principle is a dominating principle in international environmental law and under this principle it is not the responsibility of a government to meet the costs involved in prevention or remedial action for environmental damage.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department will be pursuing financial redress from the operators of the (a) MV Solong and (b) MV Stena Immaculate for the clean up operation, following the North Sea vessel collision on 10 March 2025.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HM Coastguard’s Counter Pollution and Salvage team are in the process of compiling a comprehensive cost recovery claim following the allision incident off the Humber Estuary between the MV SOLONG and MT STENA IMMACULATE. The claim will seek to recover the full costs of the government personnel, response equipment (including air surveillance) and the services of specialist technical advisors used in response to the incident and its aftermath.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the security risk of (a) connected and (b) autonomous vehicles manufactured using Chinese (i) software and (ii) hardware.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) contractors and (b) sub-contractors are involved in the main civil works phase of the HS2 programme.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd publish details of their main civil works contracts, and multiple other contractors, on their Contract Opportunities Table (https://www.hs2.org.uk/supply-chain/direct-contract-opportunities/); this table can be found on the supply chain section of the HS2 website. In addition to this, HS2 Ltd publish details of subcontracts, for which there are likely to be onward opportunities in the supply chain, through their Indirect Opportunities Table (https://www.hs2.org.uk/supply-chain/indirect-contract-opportunities/).
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to approve the business case for the A10 West Winch Housing Access Road.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
I thank the Honorable Member for his continued support for the scheme. Officials are working closely with Norfolk County Council on the outline business case submitted to the Department. When they have completed their assessment, they will put advice to Ministers.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide funding to Network Rail for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement proposals.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Both the Rail Minister and I are early in our tenure as Transport Ministers. As such, he is yet to speak to Network Rail regarding the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement. However, we do recognise the benefits the scheme could bring for freight and passenger rail services in East Anglia. The Department looks forward to discussing these proposals with Network Rail, and other stakeholders, in the near future.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the exemptions granted by the Office of Rail and Road under Section 5 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 on central door locking by the date they (a) were issued and (b) expire.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Office of Rail and Road publishes a list of exemptions granted under Regulation 6 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 on their website. This list of exemptions includes the date they were issued and their expiration dates.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of fuel prices on the competitiveness of the haulage industry.
Answered by Richard Holden - Opposition Whip (Commons)
The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold a formal assessment of specific impacts on haulage industry competitiveness.